Apparatus, system and method for cushioning an object

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, system and method to protect an object with a sleeve has a seam extending along the sleeve wherein the sleeve folds to attach along the seam. The sleeve is inserted on an object, such as a food container or a beverage container, to surround the container. A lattice is formed by expansion of slits extending along the sleeve inserted on the container. The depth of the lattice cushions the container from breakage. A bottom extends from the sleeve to surround the container. The sleeve may be placed in a partitioned section of a crate or box and/or may be incorporated in a bag to receive and/or protect the object.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an apparatus, a system and a method for cushioning an object, such as a bottle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a flexible sleeve made from a material, such as paper of a specified basis weight, that may mold to conform to the profile of the bottle as the sleeve slides onto the bottle. The paper sleeve may have slits that expand upon insertion of the paper sleeve into and/or around the bottle to define a honeycomb-shaped lattice with a depth that, for example, provides protective cushioning for the bottle against abrasive impact with another rigid object.

Bottles, such as wine, sparkling wine, carbonated juice and/or champagne bottles, as well as other types and/or forms of specialty alcoholic and/or non-alcoholic drinks may be bottled in glass bottles. Such glass bottles are often rigid and contain liquid. The bottles, however, may be susceptible to breakage. Often two bottles contact each other inside a bag holding the glass bottles. Such a situation is undesirable and presents a safety hazard, if broken glass is produced from the breakage of the glass bottles.

A variety of products and/or solutions exist to address the above-described problem, namely the breakage of bottles upon transport. For instance, grocery store employees may insert each glass bottle into a paper-bag like sleeve and/or place the bottles adjacent to each other, to minimize movement of the bottle that may contribute to the breakage of the bottles. However, such sleeves do not provide protective cushioning to each of the glass bottles. Breakage due to blunt force impact and/or dropping of the bottle still occurs using known sleeves.

Accordingly, other protective products, such as packaging crates, are known to assist in the transport of glass bottles. The crates may have several defined compartments where each compartment is dimensioned to receive a single bottle, for example, a wine bottle. However, the crates are typically used for transporting multiple bottles simultaneously, and are not well-suited for the purchase of only one or two wine bottles. In addition, substantial space is necessary to store packaging crates for customer use.

As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,871 to Goodrich et al. discloses an expandable material to fill hollow spaces in packaging boxes and/or or the like. Specifically, the material may be made from paper with slits which expand to form an array of openings. Each opening is hexagonal in shape and the same size. Other devices for cushioning objects and/or providing for protective cushioning are disclosed in European Patent No. 2858918A1 to Page et al. and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0067938 to Goodrich.

Known methods, apparatuses or systems for cushioning an object may use various materials that expand to provide cushioning to protect the object from breakage. However, a need exists for a device, such as a paper sleeve, that may expand to surround and/or protect a bottle from breakage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an apparatus, a system and a method for cushioning an object, such as a bottle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cushioning sleeve made from a material, such as paper of a specified basis weight, that may conform to the bottle as the sleeve slides onto or surrounds the bottle.

The invention provides an apparatus having a sleeve that may be defined by a height and a diameter. A seam may extend along the height of the sleeve. The sleeve may fold to attach to itself along the seam. A slit may extend along the height of the sleeve wherein the sleeve. The sleeve may be inserted onto a container to expand along the slit to surround the container.

Additionally, the invention provides a system having a sleeve that may be inserted around a bottle. The sleeve may slide toward a bottom of the bottle. A slit may be formed in the sleeve that expands on the bottle to fit the sleeve around the bottle. A lattice may be formed on the sleeve by the expansion of the slit around the bottle. The lattice may surround the bottle to protect the bottle from breakage.

Further, the invention provides a method for aligning a sleeve with a container. The sleeve may be inserted onto the container and may expand upon insertion onto the container. Accordingly, the container may be cushioned by the sleeve.

Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatus, a system and a method for cushioning an object.

Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a sleeve that may fold along a seam on the sleeve.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a sleeve made from paper with a basis weight in the range of thirty pounds to ninety pounds.

Still another advantage of the present invention is to provide a sleeve made from paper selected based on characteristics of a container.

A further advantage of the present invention is to provide a sleeve that expands to form substantially a cylinder to accommodate a container.

A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a sleeve with slits that expand upon insertion of the sleeve onto a bottle to form a lattice.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments and from the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a sleeve in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear view of a sleeve in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of a stack of sleeves in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4A illustrates a front view of a sleeve surrounding a bottle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4B illustrates a front view of another type of sleeve surrounding a bottle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4C illustrates a front view of a bottle inserted into a type of sleeve in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a sleeve expanded to surround a bottle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a partial perspective view in close-up of a sleeve surrounding a bottle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial perspective view in close-up of a sleeve partially inserted on a bottle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a bag with a sleeve configured to receive a bottle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a top view of a sleeve incorporated in a bag in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a top view of a sleeve incorporated in a bag in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of a crate with partitioned sections with a sleeve incorporated in at least one partitioned section in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. Further, numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible.

Referring to FIG. 1, a front view of a sleeve 10 is shown. The sleeve 10 may cushion an object, such as a food or beverage container, food or beverage bottle and/or the like from impact and/or abrasion during shipment. In an embodiment, the sleeve 10 may be defined by a height 20 and a diameter 18. Further, the sleeve 10, as shown in FIG. 1, may be produced by rolling and/or folding the sleeve 10 substantially in half along a seam 22, as shown in FIG. 2, along the height 20 of the sleeve 10. The height 20 and/or the diameter 18 of the sleeve 10 may be sized appropriately to correspond to various shapes, sizes and/or orientations of various types of spirit, juice and/or other liquid containers. For example, to accommodate the approximate dimensions of a traditionally-sized wine bottle, the sleeve 10 may be sized with the height 20 at approximately six inches and the diameter 18 of approximately three-and-a-half inches. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other dimensions, shapes and/or sizes of liquid containers such as wine bottles may be protected by producing the sleeve 10 with corresponding dimensions. Namely, the height 20 and the diameter 18 may correspond with the physical dimensions of the container desired to be protected.

The sleeve 10 may be formed from a pliable material, such as paper and/or cardstock, and may be cut to size in a commercial paper-cutting machine, for example. Specifically, in an embodiment, the sleeve 10 may be made from paper with a basis weight ranging from thirty pounds to ninety pounds, with a preferred basis weight of fifty pounds. The basis weight may be defined as the total weight, in pounds, of three-thousand square feet of paper sheets wherein each sheet sheet has dimensions of twenty-four inches by thirty-six inches.

The paper selected to form the sleeve 10 may depend on the characteristics of the container to cushion. For example, bottles made from a relatively brittle material, such as glass, may use a higher and/or heavier basis weight paper and/or card stock. Similarly, a durable container not as susceptible to breakage may only require a lighter basis weight paper.

The sleeve 10 may have a sequence of slits 12 extending longitudinally along the height 20. The slits 12 may be cut in the sleeve 10 by a paper-cutting machine. The sleeve 10 may open along the diameter 18 and may be placed onto and/or around a section 28, as shown in FIG. 4, of a container 44, such as a wine bottle or a water bottle, to expand along the slits 12 to substantially surround the container 44. The sleeve 10 is preferably flat when made and/or stored. In use, the sleeve 10 may expand volumetrically to a shape that may be substantially cylindrical to accommodate the shape of the bottle. A sequence of partial slits 16 may be formed across the width 18 of the sleeve 10 to assist with fitting the sleeve 10 over an object, such as the container 44.

Referring to FIG. 2, the sleeve 10 is shown having the seam 22 that may extend lengthwise across the sleeve 10. End sections 14, as shown in FIG. 1, of the sleeve 10 may be folded in the width-wise direction toward the center of the sleeve 10. The end sections 14 may be taped and/or otherwise adhered with an adhesive to form the sleeve 10 with the diameter 18. The sleeve 10 may be stored flat until expanded over and/or around a container.

Referring to FIG. 3, a stack 24 of the sleeves 10 is shown. The sleeve 10 may be stacked and/or placed on top of another sleeve 10 to form the stack 24 of the sleeves 10. The stack 24 may store several sleeves 10 in a relatively small space. In an embodiment, a single sleeve 10 made from paper with a basis weight of fifty pounds may have a thickness and/or depth of approximately 0.013 inches. Therefore, hundreds or thousands of the sleeves 10 may form a compact stack 24 of the sleeves 10. For example, a stack of one-thousand sleeves 10 may have a height of 13 inches.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the sleeve 10 may be inserted on and/or around the section 28 of the container 44. The container 44 may accommodate the circumference 38 of the sleeve 10. Accordingly, the sleeve 10 may fit on and/or wrap around the container 44. In an embodiment, the sleeve may slip onto a cap 34 and slide generally in a direction A across a dome 32 and toward a bottom 36 of the container 44. Thus, the slits 12 of the sleeve 10 may expand at the section 28 shown on the container 44 to fit the sleeve 10 around the container 44.

As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the container 44 may be slid into and/or insert into a sock-type sleeve 64 in the direction A. The sock-type sleeve 64 may generally resemble a cylinder closed at one end and/or a sock where the container may insert into the sock-type sleeve 64 generally in the direction A as shown in FIG. 4B. Specifically, the sock-type sleeve 64 may be configured to substantially surround the container 44 similar to, for example, the sleeve 10 expanded around the container 44 as shown in FIG. 4A. The slits 12 on the sock-type sleeve 64 may expand to define the lattice 26 with a a honeycomb-shaped and/or a hexagonal shaped pattern of cells 30. Further, the sock-type sleeve 64 may have an undersection 78 as shown in FIG. 4C, for example, that receives the bottom 36 of the container 44. Specifically, in an embodiment, the bottom 36 of the container 44 may compress against the undersection 78 to unfold the undersection 78 beneath the bottom 36 such that the undersection 78 may substantially enclose the bottom 36. Accordingly, the unfolded undersection 78 of the the sock-type sleeve 64 may substantially surround and protect the bottom 36 of the container 44.

Further, in an embodiment, the sock-type sleeve 64 may surround primarily the bottom 36 of the container 44 and otherwise have a limited height in the direction A toward the cap 34. Such a configuration may be suitable for short bottles, such as baby bottles and/or food jars, for example, which may be relatively short.

Accordingly, the sock-type sleeve 64 may substantially enclose the container 44 as well as the bottom 36 of the container 44 to cushion and/or protect the bottom 36 from impact with a surface. The sock-type sleeve 64 may be formed in a substantially similar process to the sleeve 10 with the slits 12 extending longitudinally across the sock-type sleeve 64. Similar to the sleeve 10, the sock-type sleeve 64 may be formed and/or cut to size in a paper-cutting machine from a paper with a specified basis weight.

After expanding the sleeve 10 on the container 44, the sleeve 10 may be visually defined by individual cells 30 across a lattice 26 formed by the expansion of the slits 12 in the sleeve 10. The pattern formed by the expanded and/or deformed slits 12 around a circumference 38 of the container 44 may generally resemble a hexagonal pattern and/or a honeycomb-shaped pattern. The sleeve 10 may surround the profile and/or curvature of the container 44 to protect the container 44 from breakage. Each of the cells 30 may have a depth and/or thickness to absorb energy related to impact of the container 44 with the sleeve 10 against an object, such as another container 44. Thus, the sleeve 10 may absorb and/or retain the energy produced upon collision of the container 44 with another object. The container 44 is thereby protected against unwanted abrasion and/or breakage.

Referring to FIG. 5, the section 28 of the container 44 is shown. The lattice 26 may generally define the edges of the cells 30. In an embodiment, the cells 30 may be generally hexagonal. The lattice 26 is formed by expansion form the slits 12 to form the cells 30 which may accordingly resemble a honeycomb-shape upon expansion of the slits 12 of the sleeve 10 to surround the container 44. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other shapes, sizes, configurations and/or orientations of the slits 12 may exist. For example, the slits 12 may expand to form the lattice 26 with substantially square, circular or triangular cells 30. Further, the slits 12 may expand to define irregularly-shaped and/or non-uniform cells in the lattice.

Referring to FIG. 6, the section 28 of the sleeve 10 that may be wrapped around the container 28 is shown. The cells 30 may be formed in the lattice 26 with a depth that may correspond generally to the basis weight and/or type of paper selected to make the sleeve 10. For example, wine bottles and/or other glass bottles made from relatively thin and/or brittle glass may require protection from sleeves made from a thicker paper and/or cardstock to more effectively cushion against impact of the bottle. In contrast, sturdy bottles made from more durable materials, such as plastic for example, may only require a sleeve made from paper with a lighter basis weight. In an embodiment, the depth of the lattice 26 may be set by cutting the slits in the sleeve 10 by, for example, a paper-cutting machine.

Referring to FIG. 7, a neck 40 leading to an intermediate transition section 42 of the container 44 is shown. The sleeve 10 may be slid in the direction A as shown in FIGS. 4A-4C toward the bottom 36 of the container 44 from the cap 34 to sequentially expand at the intermediate transition section 42 to accommodate the general curvature and/or shape of the container 44 at the neck 40. The cells 30 of the lattice 26 formed from the slits 12 on the sleeve 10 may expand to form the lattice 26 in a generally hexagonal and/or honeycomb-shaped pattern. The expanded lattice 26 around the section 28 may protect the container 44. Specifically, the lattice 26 of the sleeve 10 may protect the container 44 from abrasion and/or breakage by absorbing and/or dissipating energy associated with impact of the container 44, for example, with another object.

In an embodiment, a method for using the sleeve 10 may involve aligning the sleeve 10 with the container 44. The sleeve 10 may be slid onto the cap 34 of the container and expanded upon further sliding onto the container 44. The sleeve 10 may cushion the container 44.

Further, the slits 12 may be defined on the sleeve 10 to expand upon insertion of the sleeve 10 onto the container 44. The sleeve 10 may be directed toward the bottom 36 of the container 44 to protect the container 44 from breakage. The sleeve 10 may absorb energy from an impact of the container 44.

Referring to FIGS. 8-10, a perspective view of a bag 54 provided with the sleeve 10 that may be attached to an interior side of the bag 80 is shown. The bag 54 may be generally defined with a height 50 and a width 48. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the height 50 and/or the width 48 may be sized appropriately to correspond to various shapes, sizes and/or orientations of containers 44, such as, for example, wine bottles. In an embodiment, the container 44 may be slid into the bag 54 for transport. As shown in FIG. 9, the bag 54 is shown having a bottom 52 that may receive the container 44 and support the container 44 during, for example, transport. As shown in FIG. 10, the container 44 may be inserted into the bag 54 in a direction A toward the bottom 52 of the bag 54.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the bag 54 with the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 attached to and/or otherwise adhered by an adhesive to the interior side 80 of the bag 54 is shown. The container 44 may be slid into the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 in the direction A toward the bottom 52 of the bag 54. Accordingly, the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 may expand volumetrically in a direction B to substantially fill the bag 54 during insertion of the container 44 into the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64, respectively. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the expanded sleeve 10 may generally resemble the expanded lattice 26 with the cells 30 as shown in, for example, FIGS. 4A-4C and FIGS. 5-7. Alternatively, in an embodiment, the sock-type sleeve 64 as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C may be attached to the interior side 80 of the bag 54. Insertion of the container 44 into the sock-type sleeve 64 may expand the sock-type sleeve 64 volumetrically in the direction B to substantially to occupy the bag 54.

The lattice 26 of the expanded sleeve 10 may contact and/or otherwise compress against the interior side 80 of the bag 54 such that the container 44 may fit into the bag during, for example, transport. The lattice 26 may provide cushioning and/or otherwise protect the container 44 enclosed by the bag 54 from damage and/or breakage due to impact of the bag 54 with, for example, another object. Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, the bag 54 may have a fold-able underside 60 that may accommodate placement of the bag 54 holding the container 44 onto a flat surface, such as a table top and/or a counter.

In an embodiment, the bottom 36 of the container 44 may be inserted in the direction A as shown in FIGS. 4A-4C into either the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 that may be attached to and/or otherwise adhered by an adhesive to the interior side 80 of the bag 54 as shown in FIGS. 8-10. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C and in FIG. 10, the bottom 36 may allow the container 44 to sit on a flat surface and/or be inserted into the bag 54 that may incorporate the sleeve 10. The container 44 may be inserted into the sock-type sleeve 64 in the direction A as shown in FIGS. 4A-4C, such that the sock-type sleeve 64 may surround, cushion and/or protect the bottom 36 of the container 44 within, for example, the bag 54. Further, in an embodiment, multiple containers 44 may be inserted into sock-type sleeves 64, to protect the bottom 36 of the containers 44.

Referring to FIG. 11, a box 68 is shown that is defined by multiple partitioned sections 76. The sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 may be adapted and/or configured to attach to and/or otherwise adhere by an adhesive to one or more or all of the partitioned sections 76 in the box 68. Accordingly, the container 44, which may be, for example, a wine bottle, may be inserted into the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 attached to the partitioned section 76 of the box 68 to be cushioned and/or protected from breakage due to inadvertent contact with other wine bottles. Further, the containers 44 surrounded by the sleeves 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 may be separated from other items that may be placed in the bag that may contribute to the abrasion and/or breakage of the containers 44. In an embodiment, the box 68 may be referred to as a crate, carton and/or a case. The box 68 may have dimensions of a height 74 and a width 72. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the the dimensions of the height 74 and/or the width 72 of the box 68 may be adjusted as needed to accommodate containers of various shapes, sizes and/or orientations.

Further, the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 may be attached to and/or otherwise adhered by an adhesive from a top section 66 to a bottom section 70 to the box 68 within one or more or all of the partitioned sections 76 of the box 68. Thus, as shown in FIG. 11, the container 44 may be slid in a direction A toward the box 68 into the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 within one or more or all of the partitioned section 76. Upon insertion of the container into the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64, the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 may expand volumetrically in a direction B to occupy, for example, the bulk of the space of the remaining partitioned section 76. In an embodiment, the sock-type sleeve 64 may be attached to the box 68 substantially as described for the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 to receive the container 44. Specifically, either the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 may be attached to and/or adhered by an adhesive to the box 68 from the top section 66 to the bottom section 70 to expand volumetrically to occupy space within the partitioned section 76.

Further, in an embodiment, the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 may be attached to and/or otherwise adhered by an adhesive from the top section 66 to the bottom section 70 to the box 68 within one or more of the partitioned sections 76 of the box 68. Accordingly, either the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 may protect and/or cushion the container 44 held within the sleeve 10 or the sock-type sleeve 64 from impact with and/or impact within the box 68 and/or within one or more or all of the partitioned sections 76 within the box 68.

Although the preceding description has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials, and embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, it extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods, and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims. 

We claim:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a sleeve defined by a height and a diameter wherein the height is greater than the diameter; a seam extending along the height of the sleeve wherein the sleeve folds to attach along the seam; and a plurality of slits extending along the height of the sleeve wherein the sleeve is inserted on a container to expand along the plurality of slits to form a lattice that substantially surrounds the container to cushion the container from impact.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a bottom that extends from the sleeve to surround the container.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a bag wherein the sleeve is attached to the bag to receive the container.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sleeve is made from paper with a basis weight in the range of thirty pounds to ninety pounds.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the lattice has a depth proportionate to the rigidity of the container.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a crate with a plurality of partitioned sections wherein at least one of the plurality of partitioned sections has the sleeve.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sleeve expands to a cylindrical shape.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a second slit formed across an entrance of the sleeve wherein the second slit assists insertion of the sleeve over the container.
 9. A system comprising: a sleeve inserted around a bottle wherein the sleeve slides over the bottle and further wherein the sleeve is substantially made from paper; a plurality of slits formed in the sleeve that expand on the bottle to fit the sleeve around the bottle; and a lattice formed on the sleeve by expansion of the plurality of slits around the bottle wherein the lattice surrounds the bottle.
 10. The system of claim 9 wherein the lattice has a substantially hexagonal pattern.
 11. The system of claim 9 wherein the lattice has a depth to absorb energy from impact of the bottle against a rigid object.
 12. The system of claim 9 further comprising: a bottom of the sleeve that extends from the sleeve to surround the bottle.
 13. The system of claim 9 wherein the bottle fits into a circumference of the sleeve.
 14. The system of claim 9 further comprising: a box having an interior defined by partitioned sections wherein the sleeve is incorporated in at least one of the partitioned sections.
 15. The system of claim 9 further comprising: a partitioned section in a crate wherein the sleeve adheres to a side of the partitioned section to receive the bottle.
 16. A method comprising: aligning a paper sleeve with a plurality of slits extending across the sleeve with a container; inserting the paper sleeve onto the container; sliding the paper sleeve around the container to expand the plurality of slits to form a lattice around the container; and cushioning the container with the lattice.
 17. The method of claim 16 further comprising: enclosing a bottom of the container by the paper sleeve.
 18. The method of claim 16 further comprising: adhering the paper sleeve to a bag that receives the container.
 19. The method of claim 16 further comprising: adhering the paper sleeve to at least one partitioned section of a plurality of partitioned sections in a box.
 20. The method of claim 16 further comprising: placing the sleeve on another sleeve to form a stack. 